It is a historic first: alone on the deserted square in front of Saint Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis presided over a prayer on Friday in the face of the “ storm ” of the pandemic, urging the “ frightened and lost ” world to review its priorities and to reconnect with faith.
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“ Thick darkness covers our places, our roads and our cities; they have taken over our lives, filling everything with deafening silence and a desolate emptiness, which paralyzes everything in its path ”. Under a heavy rain resounding on the cobblestones of the Place Saint-Pierre prohibited from access, protected by a canopy, the pope thus drew up in a homily a terrifying inventory of fixtures of " the storm " of the coronavirus, which put all world in " the same boat ".
Tribute to "ordinary people"
It " unmasks our vulnerability and reveals the security, false and superfluous, with which we have built our agendas, " noted the pope, in a plea aimed at reviving the sleeping or forgotten faith of many Catholics. Those who are above all " greedy for gains ", " of omnipotence " and " of possessions " have not " woken up in the face of wars and planetary injustices ", he regretted. " We continued on our way, imperturbable, thinking that we would always remain healthy in a sick world ," noted François, judging that it is time to " reorientate ".
The head of the Catholics - 1.3 billion worshipers worldwide - asked them to join him for an hour. The Internet portal of the Holy See had set up live broadcasts in eight languages, including Chinese or Arabic, adding a channel with sign language, a novelty. The Argentine Pope magnified the dedication of " ordinary people, often forgotten, who do not make the headlines" and who "are writing today the decisive events in our history ". “ Doctors, nurses, supermarket workers, housekeepers, home care providers, transporters, law enforcement, volunteers, priests, nuns and so many others who understand that no one is running away all alone, ”said François.
In normal times, the blessing "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city of Rome and to the world) is done from the famous loggia of the apostolic palace, only at Christmas and Easter, highlights of the Christian calendar, or on the occasion of the election of a pope. It is preceded by an overview of the world's conflicts. The pope had exceptionally chosen to give this blessing Friday after focusing on a single opponent, a virus that has infected more than half a million people worldwide, more than 26,000 of whom have died.